Jong Tae-se facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jong Tae-se
정대세 鄭大世
チョン・テセ

Jong in action with North Korea against Brazil at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
Personal information
Full name	Jong Tae-se (South Korea) Jong Tae Se (North Korea) Chong Tese (Japan)
Date of birth	(1984-03-02) 2 March 1984 (age 41)
Place of birth	Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Height	1.81 m
Playing position	Forward
Youth career
1997–1999	Toshun Korean Middle School
1999–2002	Aichi Korean High School
2002–2005	Korea University (Korea)
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2006–2010	Kawasaki Frontale	112	(46)
2010–2012	VfL Bochum	39	(14)
2012–2013	1. FC Köln	10	(0)
2013–2015	Suwon Bluewings	72	(23)
2015–2020	Shimizu S-Pulse	106	(45)
2020	→ Albirex Niigata (loan)	26	(9)
2021–2022	Machida Zelvia	67	(11)
Total		432	(148)
National team
2007–2011	North Korea	33	(15)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Jong Tae-se (born 2 March 1984) is a former professional footballer. He was a forward, which means he played in an attacking position to score goals. Jong was born in Japan but played for the North Korea national team. He even played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He is known for being one of the few North Korean players to play in Japan's J-League and Germany's 2. Bundesliga.

Early Life and Football Journey

Jong Tae-se was born in Nagoya, Japan. His father was from South Korea, and his mother had ties to North Korea. Because of his father's background, Jong was first considered a South Korean citizen when he was born.

His mother sent him to a special school in Japan. This school was connected to a group that supported North Korea. This is where Jong started playing football in elementary school. He later went to Korea University in Tokyo, which also had ties to North Korea. Because of this, Jong and his family felt a strong connection to North Korea. He was given a North Korean passport, which allowed him to play for their national team.

Jong is very good at languages! He speaks Korean and Japanese fluently. He also learned Portuguese from his teammates in Japan and German when he played in Germany.

Jong believes that sports should be separate from politics. He said this after some disagreements happened during a match between North Korea and Japan in 2011.

Club Career Highlights

Jong Tae-se joined Kawasaki Frontale in Japan in 2006. He quickly became one of their best players and a top striker in the J-League. He was known for his powerful shots and strong play.

After the 2010 World Cup, Jong moved to Germany to play for VfL Bochum. He played there for about a year and a half. In January 2012, he moved to 1. FC Köln, a team in Germany's top league, the Bundesliga. However, he didn't get to play much there.

On 3 January 2013, Jong decided to move to South Korea. He joined Suwon Samsung Bluewings, a team in the K League 1. He had wanted to play in South Korea for a while. When he joined, he was registered as a South Korean player in the K-League.

He scored his first goal for Suwon on 6 April in a 3–1 win. Just two weeks later, on 20 April, he scored three goals in one game, which is called a hat-trick! This helped his team win 4–1.

In July 2015, Jong moved back to Japan to play for Shimizu S-Pulse. He was brought in to help the team, which was struggling at the time. He immediately joined the starting lineup.

Playing for His Country

Jong's first game for the North Korea national team was on 19 June 2007. It was a qualifying match for the 2008 East Asian Football Championship against Mongolia. He scored his first international goal in that game! He ended up scoring four goals in that match, helping North Korea win 7–0. He also scored two goals in the main 2008 East Asian Football Championship.

Jong was a very important player for North Korea during their qualifying games for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Thanks to players like him, North Korea qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 44 years!

One of the most famous moments of his career happened at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Before North Korea's first match against Brazil, Jong cried a lot when the North Korean national anthem was played. This showed how much it meant to him to play for his country. In that game, he also helped set up a goal for his teammate, Ji Yun-nam.

Some people called him "the People's Rooney" because of his strong playing style. But Jong himself said he played more like Didier Drogba, another famous forward.

Career Statistics

Jong Tae-se played many games and scored many goals throughout his career. Here are some of his statistics:

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

See also

In Spanish: Jong Tae-se para niños